[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 14 (Wednesday, February 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RELIEF FOR WORKING FAMILY VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, last year the United States laid eyes on one 
of the greatest natural disasters to ever hit our Nation. Hurricane 
Katrina ravaged a large part of our country, our economy, and, as a 
nation, our spirit. Last year Congress committed aid to the victims of 
this tragedy which the President signed into law. But our work and our 
commitment to the people of the gulf coast region cannot end there. If 
we turn our backs on those victims, we will only be subjecting them to 
another disaster, that of a government which isn't willing to support 
its own people.
  In the months following the hurricane, news and media coverage were 
filled with photos and video of the effects of abject poverty leaving 
people in dire straits. Yet today, a short 4 months later, the faces of 
Katrina have all but disappeared from magazine covers or the nightly 
news. Make no mistake that the victims are still victims, and the 
journey back to rebuilding whole communities and lives is a long and 
difficult road.
  To that end, I take pride in introducing, with my esteemed colleagues 
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Congressman Bill Jefferson, Congressman 
Rahm Emanuel, and Congressman Charlie Melancon, the Relief for Working 
Family Victims of Hurricane Katrina Act of 2006. At present, thousands 
of families that suffered through the hurricane remain far from their 
homes and without adequate recourse or resources to help return their 
lives to normal. Over 900,000 children in the States effected by 
Hurricane Katrina were ineligible for the refundable child tax credit 
because their parents earned income level was too low, often by the 
smallest of margins. Current law restricts the refundable credit to 
families with income levels over $11,000, and more if the families have 
more than one child. This bill would allow working families earning 
$10,000 a year, just about minimum wage, to claim the full credit. I am 
joined in these efforts by my good friend, Senator Barack Obama, who is 
introducing companion legislation in the Senate today.
  Relief like this can carry a family miles down the road to rebuilding 
their lives. Congress must uphold its commitment to the victims of the 
hurricane. President Bush, in his State of the Union Address, remarked 
that, ``In New Orleans and in other places, many of our fellow citizens 
have felt excluded from the promise of our country.'' It's sad that it 
took an epic disaster to open America's eyes to the lives of the 
impoverished and marginalized. The greater tragedy is if we do nothing 
about it.

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